A Tale of Two Spirits
by A'Rion Larent
Summary: In Aang's desperation to survive that horrible storm, the Avatar spirit became fractured. Not only did he slumber for decades, but also a girl with white hair and lilac eyes. Without any memories of who she was before, how will the stranger with control of all four elements fit into the world she will wake into? And why is she drawn to the girl with clear blue eyes?
1. Prologue: Lost In Time

Prologue: Lost in Time

Aang, she's not here." Katara placed her hand on the young man's shoulder as he scanned the distance for any signs of life.

Endless hills of sand rolled on for what seemed an eternity. The heat was unbearable, but Aang could care less for the beads of sweat forming on his brow. For a year he had traveled in search of the friend he had cast away, and for a year he had only met with disappointment.

"It sounded like Kuro." Aang cast his eyes downward as he realized it was just the wind howling in his ears. "Wherever that lion is, she'll be there."

Katara leaned on Aang's shoulder and pulled him closer to her. He had outgrown her 6 years ago on his 15th birthday (technically his 115th birthday). She could still recall his childish features and round, cheery cheeks, but one glance at his face now and you could tell he had faced some hardships. His grey eyes swirled like liquid metal as his sadness settled in.

"It's been a whole year since… that day." Aang clenched his fist as he let himself fall to the floor, "why did I tell her those things Katara?" Tears began to flow out of his eyes as he mourned for his lost friend.

Katara sat in the sand by him and clutched on to the shaking young man. He had lost someone important to him. She had been wary of Aang's new friend when they had first met; it wasn't exactly comforting to see the love of her life completely enchanted by another girl, but she had proved to be no threat to her and Aang's relationship. In a sense, the mysterious girl had been Aang's other half… a piece he had unknowingly sealed when he had frozen himself in ice.

"She'll come back Aang, I know she will." Katara spoke softly as she quieted his sobbing.

He looked out at the shifting sands and wondered where she had gone - Kyra. When he had found her she was was on the verge of death. A large lion with wings, Kuro, had dragged her towards him and Appa one day when he was flying over the South Pole. She had long white hair, full lashes and soft lilac eyes. When Katara had helped him nurse her back to health, he was thrilled to learn that she was an airbender, and shocked to discover that she had control of the other elements as well. It was only through time and memory that they figured out how she could possibly harbor the same powers as the Avatar. When he had sealed himself away, more than a hundred years ago, he had unknowingly sealed his Avatar spirit in another. It could have been her that Katara had found that fateful day, but it was Aang instead. Kyra had slept through the whole war and woke to a world set at peace.

"I didn't mean it Kyra… there is room in this world for the two of us." Aang bit his lip and pulled Katara in closer as it became clear to him that Kyra wasn't coming back.

The young waterbender held the Avatar firmly and looked up at the purple-hued sky; it was the color of Kyra's eyes. She was out there somewhere; Katara could feel her spirit in the air. One day she would come back, and the Avatar's heart would be whole again.


	2. Chapter 1: Awakening

She had been falling for so long in an endless pit of darkness that it no longer frightened her. It felt soothing to be hurdling head first into nothingness; all the pain, sadness, joy and love had withered away into the abyss and she felt renewed. As calming as it was, something was pulsing in her chest and it bade her to stop the fall. She brushed back a strand of silky, white hair and stretched her arms outward. Air rushed through her forearm and she blasted a hole into the nothingness; a bright light overtook her and the fall was broken - she had returned.

As she blinked open her eyes, she felt a blanket of warmth surround her. She groaned at the ache in her head and gripped on to the mass of black fur to pull herself up. A lazy huff emitted from the gigantic lion as he roused with his master.

"Kuro, where are we?" Kyra scanned her surroundings and saw sand, sand, and more sand.

The large beast stretched its limbs and shook his mane free of as much sand as he could. Kyra laughed at his futile attempts but assisted her friend by blowing the sand out of his hair. She blasted the air until his mane poofed uncharacteristically. If that much sand was in Kuro's mane, she could only imagine all the sand in hers. She leapt in the air and straddled his back. Before she could think of anything else, a loud rumbling sound came from her stomach.

"I guess we should find some food." She grinned at the lion.

Kuro agreed and beat his wings as he took off running. Kyra held onto his mane and was glad to be high up above the sand and heading toward the ocean. They needed to find a city; anywhere that had decent people that would feed her and Kuro. She didn't have any money, but she could work for her meal. After a few hours, Kyra saw something marvelous in the distance. A city unlike any she had seen before with tall spires and a marvelous bridge. She didn't remember such a grand city in any of her travels, so she landed a good distance outside of its limits just in case. Kuro would be safe up here in the mountains, and it wouldn't be hard for her to get back up here with her airbending abilities.

"Stay here, Kuro, we don't know how if they're friendly." She pet the creature's nose and hushed his whines.

She didn't understand why she was practicing such caution, but she knew she had to keep Kuro hidden; not to mention she had an unexplainable wariness of firebenders. She must have suffered from extreme heat exhaustion, or maybe she hit her head hard on something. She massaged her temples as a keen headache came upon her. She jumped off the edge of a cliff and tried to bend air to break her fall, but something was wrong. She tried the movements again, but nothing happened. She yelled as she continued to plunge, and with one last attempt, she directed her palms to the earth and thought of pulling the earth towards her.

Kyra prepared for a painful landing and clenched her eyes shut, but realized she had stopped falling.

"Great, I'm dead… I just know it." She muttered as she opened her eyes. "Or not…" she looked down and found that she had caused the mountain to rise to her before she could fall. "But that's impossible, I'm not…" she clenched her fist and willed the earth to bend, and it did. "an earthbender…"

She felt dizzy and fell on her haunches. She had just earthbend, but she was definitely an airbender. She stood up slowly and did one of her airbending drills and successfully produced the sought after effect. She focused on her breath and pointed her fingers towards the sky and felt awe and fear as a zap of lightning emitted from her fingertips.

'It can't be…" Kyra looked at her hands and then back at the city. In the midst of the bay was a huge statue of an airbender; nearby was an island temple. It sort of looked like an air temple, but much more humble…. perhaps the monks had decided a new location was needed. Kyra cocked an eyebrow, it wasn't as exclusive as the other air temples; she wondered if the airbenders had finally lightened up on all their rules of enlightenment- she doubted it.

She walked towards the shore and outstretched her arms; she should be able to bend water too. She moved like the water and sure enough she was able to solidify the water into ice. Was she the Avatar? There was only one way to find out. She quickly made a path to the lone monument and felt a rush as she slid all the way. She grinned and sped up her progress by having the wind push her.

Once at the shores of the giant statue, she heard a man's voice. She quietly jumped to the the knee of the statue and spied on the man below.

"Father… I'm trying my hardest to keep your dream alive." The man stood solemnly and kept his eyes on the ground.

Kyra noted his airbender tattoos and found that he looked awfully familiar to her. She looked up at the statue she was directly under and wondered who his father had been.

"As the Avatar, you healed a world at war and created Republic City, a hub where all people, benders and non-benders alike could live in harmony, but without you here, I can feel the foundation of the city shaking… the balance is being upset. Avatar Korra isn't ready to fill your shoes… she's still in training after all."

Kyra's heart dropped as the man continued talking to the statue. There was already an Avatar.

"It will still be another two years before I head down to help her master airbending, but-" The man felt himself being watched and looked up at Aang's statue-nothing was there.

"Tenzin!" He turned to find his wife coming towards him.

Kyra felt her heart beating quickly as she pressed into the statue. He would have seen her if she hadn't reacted so quickly. Avatar Aang had been an airbender… the new Avatar would be a waterbender… then she was… an accident? Also, what air temple did the old man come from, she was positive none of them were nearby. She glanced back down and saw him surrounded by three children flying on gliders. They were his? She hadn't known monks to have children… none of the monks she had known anyways. Her keen headache returned and she couldn't help but sigh as she returned to the shore of the monument.

"Hey there!" A dapper voice caused her to jump. She turned to find one of the three airbender's children right behind her.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, what are you doing here? Do you come here a lot? I haven't seen you here before, so probably not, right? My name's Ikki by the way, what's yours?"

"Uh…" Kyra wasn't sure which question to answer first. The girl continued to smile up at her. ""Nice to meet you, I'm Kyra. I'm new here, so it's my first time" She placed her hand at the back of her head and chuckled nervously; she really didn't want to be seen by the girl's father. Before she could worry further about being seen her stomach emitted the most embarrassingly loud rumble.

"You must be really hungry; here have these." Ikki handed her a bunch of seaweed wrapped food. "My mom always makes too much."

"Thank you." Kyra smiled and took the delicious smelling treats. She hadn't eaten traditional airbender's food in forever.

"Will you come over and play with me! You're really pretty and you seem nice. I have a sister and a brother, and you could be their friend too! We could play all kinds of games; you're a bender right? I saw you bend the statue, so you must be an earthbender, how cool!"

Kyra felt like the small girl could go on forever so she interrupted her by saying, "I actually have to get back to my camp as soon as possible. You see, I have a friend who also hasn't eaten in a long time, and I'm sure these would help him out a lot… though he might be mad there's no meat in them."

Ikki's face immediately turned into a pout, "Awww ok…"

"I'm sorry, I really wish I could after all the kindness you showed me. I know, I'm looking for the Avatar, and when I find her, we'll both come and visit you." Kyra had just thought of a plan.

"You're looking for Korra? I know her, she's my friend too!"

"Really? Would you happen to know where she is?"

"She's training in the South Pole with the White Lotus, I think. I'm not really sure exactly where, I've only gone with my dad."

"Alright, well thanks Ikki. I promise to visit you soon, oh and… also are you from that strange tower that looks like a miniature air temple? "

"Sure, we're the last airbenders and my grandpa started that temple!" The small girl was proud to report.

"The last airbenders?" Kyra cocked her head, "What do you mean the last?"

It was Ikki's turn to cock her head. "Well my grandpa was the last airbender, and then he had my dad who was also an airbender, and now me and my brother and sister are also airbenders, so that makes us the last airbenders." Ikki gulped for air as she finished her run on sentence.

"Ikki!" Kyra heard Tenzin call for his missing daughter in the distance.

"Well it was nice meeting you Ikki." Kyra smiled warmly and Ikki was taken aback by the girl's beauty. "Also, one last thing, could you keep our meeting a secret until we meet again?"

"I'll keep it a secret, see you later Kyra!" The young airbender waved bye as her friend waterbended her way out towards the ocean. "Huh… I thought she was an earthbender." Ikki scratched her head, "oh well!"

Kyra rushed back up the mountains to where she had left Kuro. She wasn't the Avatar, and the airbenders had somehow dwindled down to only four people- it was a lot to take in upon waking up in a sandy desert.

"Kuro," Kyra took out her bundled food, "I met a nice girl who gave us food for free!"

Kuro yawned and raised his nose to sniff at it. He growled and threatened to paw it away.

"Aww come on, don'f be piffy! If's all we haf for now." Kyra had already stuffed two in her mouth. "So good!" She chowed on the rest.

Kuro gave an annoyed roar and refused Kyra's offer. He swatted her with his tail and shook his mane.

"Ok, ok, we'll sneak into the city at night; you're much harder to see then." She knew he wasn't going to settle for anything less than cooked meat. "I learned a lot of strange things when I was out there, Kuro." She held a ball of fire in her hand and then simmered it out with water, and then threw a rock surrounded by a ball of air out into the distance. "See that, I can bend all four elements!"

Koru didn't seem too impressed and rolled his eyes as he lay back down on the ground.

"You're just angry you haven't eaten." Kyra meekly offered an apologetic smile. "the sun is setting now so it shouldn't be too long until we can venture out."

When the sun set completely and night fell upon the great city, Kyra headed out on Kuro's back. It wasn't easy to hide a massive creature like Kuro, but his black fur and mane let him hide in shadows exceptionally well. Kyra avoided busy streets filled with strange, 4 wheeled boxes that didn't need an ostrich horse or buffalo yak to pull it, and kept to dark alleys. Eventually she found a park with a rather large lake.

"Kuro, I bet you I can catch a fish!" She whispered and began to waterbend until she caught a fish. She chuckled and found a nearby stick. Then she roasted them with her newfound firebending abilities. She did it a few more times until she had enough for a feast.

"My, my, what have we here!" Another whispering voice startled her from the nearby bush. "Mind if I have one of those?"

Kuro looked at the man, looked down at his pile of fish and decided he could spare at least one. He pushed it towards him, and began devouring his pile.

"Whoa, I didn't even see you there big fella!" The man was startled by Kuro's presence but took the fish all the same. "Let's make sure the guard never hears about this, I'm sure they'll notice this large amount of fish missing."

"They keep track of how many fish are in the lake?" Kyra asked.

"this missy is a pond- man-made, and fishing in it is illegal." The man shined a toothless grin at her. "But I'll never tell on you."

"You're telling me they made a lake, put fish in it and don't let people eat the fish?" Kyra was astounded by this strange city.

"I'm glad there are still people out there with a sense of humor!" The man roared with laughter. "Oh, that's the guard now." A pair of flashlights were seen in the distance, "Why don't you join me for dinner?"

"Sure, but…" She looked tentatively at the bush, "Kuro can't hide in there."

"Yes, he can" the man in rags revealed a rather large secret door that led underground.

Kyra smiled and signaled Koru to follow the man. She jumped in and was amazed at what she saw-below was a whole other city.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" The man boasted and spread his arms out wide.

"Wow, this is amazing, it's like a whole other town."

"You know, you're not like most people, where are you from?"

"My name's Kyra, I'm from…" the keen headache returned, "well not from here that's for sure." She ignored the pain as best she could.

"I could tell as much, well I'm Go, nice to meet you. Are you a traveler?"

"Just about, I'll be heading to the South Pole soon." Kyra recalled what Ikki had said to her. "But if I could stay here the night I would be much obliged. I can pay you in fish?" she offered the five that she had left.

"How about I take one, and you keep the rest for your journey." The old man smiled and showed her to a pile of rags. "You can sleep here or wherever. I take it you sleep on your mythical beast." He casually referenced Kuro who gave him a big lick.

"Thank you for your hospitality. Kuro thanks you too." She gave him a slight bow and bade him goodnight.

As she rested against Koru's fur, she smiled and drifted off to sleep. She wasn't sure where she was, or what had happened to her memory, but tomorrow she would set out to search for the Avatar. She felt like when she met the Avatar, she would figure things out and that was enough to keep her mind from racing too far ahead.


	3. Chapter 2: The Journey South

Kyra had left early in the morning, but made sure to leave a little something behind for her gracious host. Five more cooked fish on sticks were stuck in the ground with a message written on the ground: "Thank you." She wasn't sure what kind of wondrous person Go was, but he owned a whole underground city and had never asked anything in return for his hospitality. Kuro had eaten the other five that she had meant for him, but he did have to make a long flight to the South Pole, so Kyra wasn't too upset.

"It's getting colder isn't it?" Kyra felt a chill run down her spine and felt afraid. She kept her breath warm and appreciated her new firebending abilities enormously. "I'm glad you have all this fur too." Kuro huffed in agreement.

The night sky turned to dark when they finally reached the South Pole. Above, Kyra saw a well guarded establishment and knew that's where the Avatar was. She headed down and found a cozy cave on the steep side of a snowy cliff.

"I'm sorry to do this again to you Kuro, but you have to stay here, ok?"

Kuro crossed his paws and lay comfortably on the dry rock; apparently he was fine with not going back outside in the wet, cold snow. Kyra nodded as she departed and pulled up her hood. It was freezing and she didn't like the exposure. Her feet crunched on the snow and although she was maintaining a warm body temperature, she felt like it was hurting her to be out here. While she was worrying about the snow, she heard the thud of trotting paws.

"Kuro I thought I told you-" She turned to scold what she thought was her approaching lion only to see a rather large polar bear dog heading straight her way. "Whoa!" She dove out of the way.

"Naga, what's gotten into you!" She heard a female scold the polar bear dog. "I'm so sorry, are you ok?" Before her stood a rather beautiful water tribe girl and her hand was outstretched towards her.

"I'm fine, thanks." Kyra took the girl's hand and brushed off the snow. "It's kind of dark with the moon being such a slight sliver; it was probably hard to see." She looked into the girl's clear, blue eyes and felt a connection. "You wouldn't happen to be the Avatar, would you?"

"Hey how did you…" Korra was about to finish her sentence when she remembered her recent promise to Katara. She wasn't even supposed to be out here at this time of day, but she felt so bored and cooped up that she couldn't help but escape every once in awhile. "know she was somewhere around here."

"Oh, a friend told me… I just wanted to meet her." Kyra was disappointed; she was almost sure that there was something about the girl that called out to her.

"What for?" Korra was intrigued that someone had come this far.

"I'm not sure actually." Kyra felt embarrassed by her lack of reason. "I feel like I need to meet her."

"I could give her a message for you." Korra felt bad about lying to the girl, but Katara never asked of anything without reason.

"I wish I even had that much. I was sure you were the Avatar…" Kyra flashed her lilac eyes at Korra and caused the water tribe girl to feel weak in her knees. "but I'm a bit out of it." She looked back at where she had left Kuro. "I should probably get going." She wasn't sure what it was about this stranger, but being near her made her feel strange.

Korra wanted to tell the girl to wait up; that she was actually the Avatar, but after seeing her lilac eyes and catching a glimpse of her white hair, she was suddenly frozen in place. Flashes of Avatar Aang and the white haired girl invaded her vision. She reached out for the hooded stranger, but her throat felt clenched and the visions overwhelmed her.

Meanwhile Kyra had returned to the cave and rested her back against Kuro.

"Kuro… I don't like the snow. I wish I wasn't here." She wanted to cry but she wasn't sure why. "I don't think anyone will tell me where this Korra is, but you know what?" She regained her optimism. "That great big city, where the old airbender lives with all his kids; I bet she'll have to visit one day! We'll just wait there until she does."

Kuro purred as Kyra pet the bridge of his nose and she was lulled to sleep.

'Half of a whole, for every ray of light there is a shadow.' a deep voice spoke to her in her dreams. 'Everyone loves the light, but the shadow is feared; while the light is straight and direct, the shadow is twisted and deceiving.'

Kyra woke up in a cold sweat and struggled to stand as she heard the words replay in her head. What was that? It felt like something the nuns would tell her at the air temple. That's right, Ikki had said there weren't any other temples with airbenders. The temple she had been from was east of here. Perhaps she could find some answers there.

She traveled immediately upon waking from her nightmare. The sun would break through the darkness soon, and she would be in a better mood. The temple came into view and she noticed it looked just as she had remembered it. There were even nuns walking up and down the stone steps! Perhaps Ikki meant they were the only airbenders at the small island temple at the time… kids could say strange things.

Kuro growled as he neared the temple and would not land anywhere out in the open. Kyra didn't mind walking and leaving him in the forest below; she didn't want him seen by the nuns. She quickly rose to the top and walked in between the tall pillars.

"Um, hello, is anybody here." She bellowed into the great hall. "Hellooooo!"

"Would you please stop?" A hushed voice followed her echo.

"Oh hey, I knew there were airbenders here!" She looked at the girl's clothes.

"Airbender? No, I'm an air acolyte."

"An air acolyte? So you're not a bender?"

"Are you feeling alright, did you hit your head or something on your way up?" The girl with midnight black hair and rich green eyes took a hold of her wrist and checked her pulse.

Kyra blushed… the girl was pretty. "I'm fine" she took her hand back and smiled. "I just thought you were an airbender."

"You must have hit your head. The only airbenders in this world are Avatar Aang's descendants." The girl cast a worried gaze at Kyra.

"So I heard… I guess I was kind of wishing it wasn't true." Kyra murmured as she looked ahead. The door to the Sanctuary has been opened."

"Would you like to go inside?" The girl felt bad for the sadness in Kyra's eyes.

"Can I?"

"Of course follow me!" She grabbed Kyra's hand and led her into the Sanctuary.

Kyra like the feeling of warmth that the other girl's hand produced and followed willingly. It was hard accepting Ikki's knowledge as truth; the airbenders were nearly extinct. What had happened to the world while she was sleeping in sand… and how long had she been asleep? Everything was jumbled in her head but for now being at the Eastern Temple with a pretty girl holding her hand would keep her fears at bay.

"Here's Avatar Aang, the late Avatar."

"Aang…" it felt somewhat strange to be introduced to a stone statue, but it was older than the one sculpted near the big city. "He looks so serious." For some reason the thought saddened her greatly. "I guess most airbenders were."

"Are you a bender?" the girl asked.

"I haven't introduced myself have I?" Kyra smiled softly, "My name is Kyra, and yes I'm a bender."

"I'm Til. May I ask what kind of bender are you?"

"I…" Kyra wanted to tell her the truth. She was an airbender… or at least she had been until she realized she could bend all four elements. "I'm a firebender."

"I've never seen anyone with eyes like yours." The girl drew closer to her.

"Yeah I suppose lilac isn't a normal color." Kyra chuckled nervously; why was her face feeling so hot? Maybe she didn't have this firebending down after all. "You know, you're pretty and my face is hot and I think I should go." The girl panicked and started running back towards the steps.

"Wait!" Til ran after her and surprisingly caught up. She kissed Kyra on the cheek and smiled as she pulled back. Kyra had turned several shades of red. "You're always welcome to visit."

"Y,y,yeah of course. Visit, you… sometime." Kyra felt like her tongue wasn't processing the words right. "I didn't even know I liked…"

"Girls?" The girl with midnight hair giggled at the dumbfounded youth.

"So it would seem." Kyra regained her speech and smirked. "Thank you Til." She firebended her way down the mountain and felt a piece of her heart return. She liked girls, and she had somehow forgotten that. It felt good to remember something about her, even if she wasn't the one who had uncovered it.

Her journey to meet the Avatar hadn't gone as expected, and she had failed to even see her, but she had gained much from her short trip. She planned to return to the big city and ask Go if she could stay until the Avatar showed up. She was sure he would help her in exchange for her help with meals. Her past was a mystery to her, and the time she was in now didn't make complete sense, but she knew, deep in her bones, that she was fated to meet the Avatar.

Meanwhile, back at the compound, Korra found herself thinking of the strange girl in the dead of night when her training was over and there was nothing else to do. Usually Korra was outgoing and overly eager to make a new friend, but for some reason she literally found herself frozen and unable to chase after her. It saddened her to watch her walk away; maybe she shouldn't have lied to her after all. The Avatar sighed as she fell back on her bed; one day she'd be free of this place, and maybe then she'd find that girl again. Korra smiled at the thought and drifted off into an easy sleep.


	4. Chapter 3: Meeting the Avatar

A/N: I will try my best to follow the original story line, but I'll probably veer off as there's no fun in doing the exact same thing. This is my first LoK fic, so let me know how I'm doing!

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 3: Meeting the Avatar

Living in the underbelly of Republic City, Kyra picked up on many of its turmoils quickly. There was unrest between benders and non-benders, and the non-benders had finally found an emphatic leader to rally behind. Kyra sighed as she slurped up her water tribe noodles. Since living with Go, she employed herself from time to time running errands for certain shops. With that money she was able to split the earnings with Go and feed herself and Kuro, but sometimes it wasn't enough. When it got really bad, Kyra had no choice but to steal from certain stalls. Once or twice she had made a scene, but it usually went smoothly; however, because of her unique appearance, she often went about her escapades wearing a cloak and a white lion's mask to conceal her white hair and lilac eyes.

It had almost been a year and a half since she had decided to wait in Republic City for the Avatar to make her appearance. She knew Tenzin was a councilman, and he was swamped with the leadership that came with the title; she didn't see how he would have time to go to the South Pole and train the Avatar. She wondered if she should try returning to the South Pole, but disliked the notion of being surrounded by snow. While she was finishing up her meal, she felt a rumble not too far ahead.

The tremors in the ground caused the cloaked youth to look up from her current meal of water tribe noodles–one of the best dishes in town–and the small burst of flame that she could see from the window was enough to get her off her chair. She slid to the right to avoid the screaming lady holding a ladle, and slid to the left to avoid being hit by a swarm of shrieking men. Perhaps she should have been running in the same direction, but the commotion outside had piqued her curiosity. Drawing back the humble, cloth doors, she peeked out to see a rather interesting sight–a single girl taking on three members of the Triple Threat Triad. And it wasn't just any girl, but the girl she had run into when she had ventured to the South Pole.

She watched slightly amused as the apparent earthbender caused the gang members' vehicle to flip over and wreck into a nearby street-pole. They retaliated with some bending of their own, but the girl managed to put up a solid wall of earth in defense. The cloaked youth raised her hand to put an end to this; after all, she was positive the authorities wouldn't appreciate the damage done to the city streets and businesses. Just as she was about to call on her own bending, the supposed earth bender shot out a volley of water and fire.

"The Avatar…" Kyra stood in awe for a moment as the South Pole girl apprehended the criminals. The approaching sirens soon snapped her out of her reverie.

"Nothing to fear here people! I've got em!" the Avatar looked quite smitten with her good deeds.

The cloaked youth sighed at the Avatar's ignorance and approached her hastily.

"Follow me unless you like getting arrested."

"What? Arrested? What for?"

They both looked around at the destruction that the mayhem had left behind

"I was just trying to help." The Avatar nervously chuckled and scratched the back of her head.

"The metal benders will be here soon, come on!" The cloaked youth pulled on the Avatar's hand.

"Wait! I have a better idea. Naga!"

A giant polar bear dog trampled through the streets to meet her companion, and the cloaked youth recalled her last run in with the giant beast. They both hopped on Naga's back and took off at full speed. She told the Avatar where to turn in order to avoid being detected by the police brigade, and within no time they were in an underground system of tunnels.

Naga slowed to a steady trot, and it was then that the Avatar spoke.

"So where are we exactly?"

"Under the city, if we go a little further up, we'll arrive at my place."

"I'm Korra by the way."

"Nice to meet you, well kinda, I've met you before." Kyra lowered her hood and smiled, "I'm Kyra."

Up ahead a glowing light greeted them and to Korra's surprise there was a rather nicely furnished sector.

"You're that girl I met the day I got in so much trouble for leaving the training facility!" Korra jumped off of Naga and looked around. "I never thought to meet you again in Republic City."

"I'm surprised you remember… though, when I met you, you said you weren't the Avatar." Kyra smirked as Korra chuckled nervously.

"Gran gran had asked me to keep my identity a secret until my training was done; sorry about that." Korra scratched the back of her head.

Korra gazed at the girl that stood before her. Her white hair made it to the base of her neck in rebellious spiky layers, but perhaps what called out most to Korra was the lilac color of her eyes. Her jaw was nicely defined and her skin flawless and smooth; Korra blushed as she realized how intently she had been staring.

"Um nice lion mask," Korra tried to alleviate the awkwardness.

"Thanks" Kyra wasn't used to visitors and just had her mask hanging on the wall. Korra seemed like an understanding person, but it wouldn't bode well if she figured out that Kyra was known as the "White Lion," a criminal to the higher ups. She quickly decided to change the subject, "It's fine, I'm just glad I was finally able to meet you." Kyra sat on a couch she had found on the side of the street.

Korra smiled, "It's nice seeing you again too, I'm actually here to train with Tenzin, but I have to convince him to let me stay."

"You still haven't completed your training?" Kyra raised an eyebrow.

"I can't seem to get the knack of airbending… everything else came so naturally." Korra took a seat while throwing her hands up in the air. "I can't even manage one little puff of air.

"I completely understand, when I was training at the temple-" Kyra started but then saw the confused look on Korra's face. She had completely forgotten that there weren't any airbenders, save Tenzin's family and she wasn't completely sure if revealing her abilities now was wise. "As an air acolyte of course, the teachings seemed to be focused on complete focus and spirituality."

Korra nodded in agreement, "The spiritual part doesn't come as easily to me, but I'm sure having Tenzin as my master will get me there in no time. By the way, what's an air acolyte doing outside of the temple?"

Sometimes lying came too easily to the natural airbender, but maybe that was because there was always a base of truth to them. "Let's just say I wasn't exactly cut from the same cloth as most acolytes… I wasn't too good at the whole spiritual side either. I belong in the city where there's crowds of different people. I'm also not too good at following rules." Kyra grinned.

"Me neither! I-" Korra began, but Kyra was lost in her eyes and Korra's words rolled right past her.

Kyra saw determination in her lit up eyes as she described her escape from the compound. She had never met an Avatar in her life, or not that she could remember anyways, but it felt like she was reconnecting with an old friend. Before their conversation could progress, Kuro walked in from one of the connecting tunnels.

"What is that?!" Korra nearly flipped off the couch as the giant beast began to sniff a frozen in place Naga.

"Kuro," Kyra called her winged lion to her. Kuro came over and purred as his master began to pet his nose. "This is my friend, Kuro."

"I used to think Naga was huge, but…" Korra approached the black lion. "May I?" She motioned to pet him and Kyra nodded.

Korra marveled as she pet the lion's ears and reveled in how soft they were. "I've never seen such a huge lion with wings."

"I wish I could take him out more often, but I'm afraid most people will have a bad reaction to his appearance."

"Awww, but how could they not like his cute ears!" Korra cuddled with the lion's face and caused Kyra to laugh. Kuro licked the Avatar and she also joined in the laughter.

"I'm really glad to have run into you again; I know I said that before, but I can't help but feel this really elated sense of happiness." Korra spoke from her heart as she turned to face the white-haired girl.

Kyra felt her heart beat quicken and wanted to say something back but felt her tongue tied. She kept her cool and waited for the seeming paralysis to pass.

"I'm glad as well," She was about to continue, when a grumbling stomach interrupted her. "I take it you haven't eaten." Another rumble came, but this time it was from Naga. "Nor has your polar bear dog."

Korra chuckled in dismay, "I kind of just stowed away on a ship and then came here with no money. See, I wasn't supposed to leave that training facility, but I hate being cooped up, and I really think I'm meant to be here."

Kyra smirked, that sounded like something she would do.

"Kuro can take Naga to hunt if Naga's up for it. It's getting dark so Kuro's just about to head out to the mountains."

"How about it girl, wanna hunt with Kuro?"

The polar bear dog usually enjoyed chasing cats, but this particular cat was at least twice her size. Kuro nudged Naga gently on the cheek and beckoned her to follow him. Naga barked in approval and tailed the trotting lion.

"That should keep Beifong's metalbenders from recognizing you, and don't worry, Kuro is a great guide." Kyra led the way out of the tunnel and back out onto the streets. "So what are you in the mood for?"

"I don't know, I haven't had anything other than water tribe food."

"Hmmm…" Kyra had just gotten paid for delivering some flowers. She smiled and said, "I know just the place, come on!" She grabbed Korra's hand and ran through the streets.

"Whoa, I've never seen so many Sato mobiles." Korra commented as they raced to a lit up section of the city.

"Yeah I had no idea what they were when I first saw them."

Korra quirked her eyebrow…. that was the second strange thing that Kyra had said upon meeting her. She wasn't sure what it was about her, but something seemed off, or at the very least hidden. It was almost like Kyra didn't exactly belong in this time period.

"There it is!" Kyra pointed ahead to a quaint noodle shop. "You're going to love the fire noodles!"

Kyra ordered two bowls of fire noodles and grinned from ear to ear as she awaited the delicious bowls to arrive. Korra nearly drooled as the delicious aroma filled her senses.

"That'll be 10 yuan."

Kyra handed the shopkeeper her money and received the two meals.

"Here you go, my treat." Kyra handed Korra her bowl. "Now, before you destroy that bowl, I must warn you, they aren't called fire noodles for nothing."

"I can breath fire out of my mouth, I don't think I'll have any problem with these." Korra smirked and slurped up her first serving. Much to her surprise the noodles were filled with savory goodness, but the spice was real. She couldn't stop eating, however, and devoured the whole bowl regardless of the fact that her tongue felt like it was on fire.

Kyra laughed as the Avatar made funny faces and noises as the spice lingered on her tongue.

"Here," Kyra waterbended some water from her water sack and chilled it. "I developed this technique specifically for these noodles." She eased the water into Korra's mouth and made sure that it turned into soft ice.

Korra sighed in relief as the soft snow-like substance melted the burning away.

"That was magical, fire noodles and your master waterbending that is." Korra looked to see Kyra's bowl just as empty, "wait, how come your tongue isn't burning?"

"I'm a regular; guess my tongue is a bit tougher than yours." Kyra teased her as she returned the bowls to the shopkeeper. "Practice makes perfect."

"Alright, then the next bowl of noodles is on me!"

"Deal!" Kyra agreed to another noodle outing. "I think Kuro and Naga might take a little bit longer to hunt than it took for us to practically breath those noodles in."

"You're probably right, what should we do?"

"I know!" Kyra's eyes lit up. "Follow me!"

The white-haired girl ran back towards the lake. It was one of the first places that she had visited when she first came to Republic City, and since then she had come here on nice nights to sit under the water fountain. Oftentimes, she was questioned because of her hooded appearance and the fact that she was out at strange times of night. It probably didn't help that she was often spotted with the poorer citizens of Republic City.

She had a few scuffles with the cops whenever they used their poor judgement on friends of hers. Just because they looked like they needed to eat, didn't mean they were going to steal. That burden was hers, and she carried it with pride. Most of the food she stole was heading towards the garbage; she was doing the city a service by reallocating its goods. Go and the others supported her wild plans, and lived a better life now that the mysterious, white-haired girl had joined their ragtag family. She had been caught a few times by Captain Beifong's squad, and even been questioned by Beifong herself, but she always managed to escape much to Beifong's annoyance. People like Beifong upset her. Here were people, struggling to live, ignored by the authorities until it came time to blame someone for a crime. They were people lost in the cracks of this seeming utopia, and Beifong completely overlooked their circumstance and dictated right and wrong by set rules.

Night time was the only time she could walk about freely, and with some waterbending, the large water fountain had become her refuge. Kyra took the Avatar's hand and created an icy path towards the large fountain, and jettisoned to the highest level. Korra yelped as they jumped straight into the water fountain and thought they would be submerged in the top plate, but Kyra had turned it into ice.

"Hey…. it's not cold!" Korra commented as she sat on the frozen water. "you have to show me some of your waterbending tricks; especially if we're going to eat any more of those noodles." Kyra nodded and gave the Avatar a moment to take in her surroundings. "Wow, it's like a whole other city when you look at it through falling water."

"It's like a dream." Kyra murmured as she sat in a meditating position and looked out towards the lit up bridge. "Sometimes, I feel like this is all a dream."

Korra sat by her new friend and froze the water around them. "This night has felt like a dream. I'm glad I stowed away… I was actually beginning to think I didn't belong here." Korra sighed as she thought back to the lady who wouldn't give her food, the anti-bender protesters, and her run in with the police.

"That's exactly how I felt when I first came to this city." Kyra offered a sympathetic smile. "Everything was so strange and new… but I met a friend and they showed me the ropes."

"Just like you've done for me." Korra sent a huge, goofy smile her way causing Kyra to chuckle. "By the way, when I met you, you said you wanted to speak with the Avatar about something"

"Oh, well…" Kyra mulled on whether or not she should reveal her abilities.

"If I can help you with anything, it'd be my pleasure."

"I... " Kyra spoke and Korra hung on her words attentively, "I recently lost my memory." Kyra couldn't tell her just yet. She was afraid that Korra would feel threatened by her, or worse she would see her as an anomaly to be eradicated. "And I thought… maybe you would know how to retrieve such things."

"Oh…" Korra put a finger to her lip and clenched her jaw, but she couldn't think of any solution. "I'm sorry, I can't say that I know much about stuff like that." Korra frowned in dismay; she felt like it was her duty to help as the Avatar. But aside from that, Korra felt like she owed Kyra more than an apology. "But maybe my training with Tenzin will teach me something about that!" Korra offered optimistically.

"Don't worry about it, it was just a wild idea that I thought I'd pursue a year and a half ago." Kyra felt bad about lying to Korra. "I'm just glad to have met you."

"Me too! I haven't had this much fun in forever!" She hugged Kyra in a friendly manner.

At that moment, a vision of Aang flashed in both of their minds. Korra drew back from her friend and rubbed her head. Kyra, on the other hand, wondered why she saw a vision of an airbending boy. She didn't recognize the boy, but maybe it was some of her memory returning. She shrugged and looked at Korra who seemed embarrassed.

"Sorry, my head just started hurting." Korra feigned a headache.

"Let's get back to my place; I'm sure Naga and Kuro have returned."

They agreed and took off for the underground tunnels, unaware that they had just shared a vision of Aang. Back at the underground tunnel, Naga and Kuro greeted them with wagging tails.

"I see you two are the best of friends." Korra smirked as Naga licked Kuro's face. "C'mon we gotta go." Naga came to her side and she hopped on. "Hey, now that I know where you live, would it be ok for me to come and visit?"

"Of course, my doors will always be open to you Korra." Kyra didn't want her to leave, but she knew that she'd see her again. "I'll be awaiting our next noodle outing."

Korra nodded before she waved bye and took off towards the city. Something in her was pleading her to stay, to not leave Kyra alone, but the feelings scared her. They didn't feel like her own, and although Korra enjoyed Kyra's company, she had no reason to feel so attached. She shook her head and focused on reaching air temple island-so focused was she that she failed to notice the Republic City police.


	5. Chapter 4: Meeting a Vigilante

A/N: I have so many chapters to post, but I feel like I shouldn't do it all at once. Not to mention I need to edit some things... maybe it's time I get a beta reader... hmmmm... anyways, enjoy the chap!

Chapter 4: Meeting a Vigilante

Kyra watched Korra train from afar. Something about her bald-headed sifu kept the white-haired girl at bay. Kyra sat atop the branch of a tree and wished she didn't have to keep so quiet since she wanted to laugh out loud. Korra was not a patient person and moved with force rather than grace. The swinging panels always managed to smack her back and forth regardless of her will to dodge them. As a child, Kyra remembered that most kids had tried to dodge the panels, but when it was her turn, she had decided to be directed by the panels and move with them. It turned out that sometimes it was best to follow than to lead. She looked down again and winced as Korra blew her lid and firebended her way out of the panels. Tenzin lectured her, Korra grew even further frustrated, and Kyra wished she was the one teaching Korra. Down below, she could also spot out Ikki and wondered if the small girl remembered her. She hadn't been able to keep her promise and visit Air Temple Island with Korra, but perhaps she would be able to in the future.

Kyra returned to her dwelling and was met with a sad-smiled Go.

"Kyra, good to see you! You've been going out a lot more often; have you run into the Avatar again?"

"Kinda, I still don't know how to approach her about…. well about me." She sighed and looked at the quirky elderly man.

He had taken her in after her trip to the South Pole. Everything she knew about Republic City she had learned from him. He was the most humble of men, but he did have a wild streak, and that's what she loved most about him. He had become a surrogate father of sorts and appreciated his nonchalant guidance. During a horrible accident on one of their food gathering missions, Kyra had been forced to bend two elements in order to save Go's life from a member of the Triple Threat Triad... it appeared many of the shops had connections with them. She was afraid the man would rat her out and expose her, but he was grateful and ever mindful of her secret. She had confided in him after that night, and was glad she finally had someone she didn't have to hide from.

"She doesn't seem like the type to just blow your head off with a ball of fire" Go sat and twiddled a stick in the fire pit. "I think she's the only one that can help you figure out who you were before coming to Republic City."

Kyra looked into the flames; she had also told Go about her memory loss. "You mean who I am."

"I've told you a million times, Kyra, you're a part of the underground family. Everyone here loves you. Since you joined our family, everyone's lives are the better for it. I know I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. " He patted her back. "In fact, many of us wouldn't be here if it weren't for you." Go's voice turned solemn and Kyra snapped out of her self-pitying state.

"What's happened?" Kyra furrowed her eyebrows and looked back at Go.

"One of the Kaguya's girls, Remy, is sick. They're too poor to afford a healer and they can't get a proper audience with the council with everything that's going on." Go snapped his twig and threw it in the fire. "She's dying Kyra. We live in a city that's stocked with every kind of medicine, and the best healers, and a little girl is dying in its walls." Go had tears in his eyes.

"Where's this cure?" Kyra knew what she had to do.

"It's being shipped in a fortnight's time, the Chou's son came down with the same thing that Remy has, and they ordered a whole shipment."

"Can't we just ask them for some?" Kyra didn't mind stealing, but she liked to make sure that was her only choice.

"Remy's mother has been asking for days. This last time she was thrown out on the streets like she was a pile of rags. They threatened to call the police if she solicited them one more time. They're a firebending family that looks down on non-benders, and they're closely affiliated with the Agni Kai."

Kyra clenched her jaw, "I'll intercept their ships and take what we need."

"Leros said he would go with you." Go offered her the help of another bender in their family.

"I'll handle it; if the Agni Kai are involved, then the shipment will be heavily guarded. It'll be easier on my own."

"Thank you Kyra, the Kaguya's will be relieved to know that their girl has a chance. She doesn't have much time, but I know she'll last til the end of the month… that's all the healers were willing to say."

Kyra sighed and headed towards the tunnel exit. "I'm going to watch a pro-bending match, but I'll be back. Keep Kuro at the entrance." She had a bad feeling about tonight. No one had been able to discover their underground lair, and many who traversed down here, ran out and told tales of a giant, black shadow with piercing yellow eyes, and rows of sharp teeth.

Her rage coursed through her veins and she felt herself wanting to blast something with all four elements. Why were people so bent on hating each other for their differences? She had seen the hatred flow both ways, and was glad that Go and their family were the first people she grew close to. The police and their rigid rules and structure wouldn't be able to handle the very fluid and complex situation that Republic City's citizens found themselves in. Amon wasn't the answer, and, nowadays, the Council was also lacking in substance. Kyra sat atop the dome and settled herself down by watching the pro-bending match below.

"What the Flamey-o?" Kyra saw one of the members of the Fire Ferrets bend water, earth and fire. "Korra?"

It indeed was the Avatar who had just received a penalty. She chuckled as they allowed her to remain in the match as long as she stuck to water bending. She watched eagerly as the match resumed, but winced like she did when she watched Korra train with Tenzin. Korra was the weakest link on the team, and the Platypus bears were keen to pick that up. Kyra had always loved watching pro-bending matches, even if she had to watch from far up above, but Korra's display was a bit embarrassing. The Fire Ferrets had been her favorite team for some time; she had even run into Bolin a number of times at her favorite noodle shop. She didn't hang out with people her age often, but the earthbender was a funny guy and Kyra appreciated his energy. Mako, on the other hand, was not her favorite type of person, but he had his virtues nonetheless.

"Come on Korra, move with their blows, not against them." Kyra whispered as Korra stood her ground.

Korra thought she heard Kyra's voice and as the Platypus Bears volleyed their shots, Korra took the advice and remembered her training with Tenzin. Kyra nearly rolled off the dome as she saw how gracefully Korra was dodging all of their shots. With every chunk of rock, fireball and water whip she dodged, Kyra roared with the rest of the crowd. While Korra dodged, Mako and Bolin had time to react and the Fire Ferrets made an astounding comeback.

"Yes!" Kyra threw her hand up in the air. That was by far the most exciting match she had seen in awhile. For a moment, all her woes and responsibilities were gone, and she felt light enough to float away. "I have to go congratulate her."

Kyra made her way to the gym, and remembered when Bolin had given her a tour of the ground upon first meeting him. She snuck by the security officers and blended in with the locals until she was able to take a short cut. She opened the door to the gym and found the three team members.

"Korra!" Kyra ran towards her with a smiling face.

"Kyra!" Korra was so glad she decided to escape into the city tonight, even Tenzin enjoyed her display of airbending technique.

"Hey Bolin!" Kyra smiled at Bolin and received a huge bear hug from the green-eyed boy. "Hey put me down!"

"But I missed you so much; you haven't been to one of our matches in forever, not since…" Bolin was shut up by Mako's fist colliding with the back of his skull. "Oww!" He put Kyra down and looked back at his brother. "I thought you were going to bed."

Mako blushed and refused to look at Kyra. "I... just wanted to say bye, I mean goodnight."

"So you are going to bed?" Kyra teased the boy.

"I think he meant to say hi." Bolin patted his brother's back. "It's so cool that everyone knows each other!"

"How do you know these two?" Korra asked, somewhat confused by Mako's reaction to Kyra.

"I met Bolin at that noodle shop I took you to; he was the only one who could handle those noodles back then." Kyra recalled the memory fondly.

"You took her to the noodle shop!" Bolin grinned and was ecstatic that they shared even more in common. "We should grab some now!"

"Bolin, we're dirt poor." Mako grit his teeth together at his brothers laid-back nature.

"I can cover everybody." Kyra offered.

"Oh yeah, I haven't had those noodles in forever!" Bolin was already drooling. Pabu jumped from his shoulder to Kyra's and gave her a small peck on the nose. "Pabu missed you too."

"Awww, I missed you too Pabu." Kyra giggled as the ferret rubbed his face on hers. "Let's get going before it gets any later."

"I'm going to stay." Mako stood still as the others walked out. "No offense Kyra, but I can't take your money." His tone was borderline standoffish as he crossed his arms and furrowed his brows.

"Why are you so uptight?" Korra was getting annoyed by Mako's strange behavior towards her friend. "She's just being generous."

Mako ignored Korra's statement and headed upstairs to his and Bolin's loft. He had met Kyra almost a year ago… but she hadn't known it was him. It was that same night that he decided to never help the Triple Threat Triad members again. Kyra was affiliated with the poorest citizens of Republic City, and their food raids were beginning to cut into the Triple Threat Triad's territory. He was hired to stop the vigilantes and capture their lion-masked leader; him and Bolin really needed the money, so he accepted without looking into it. He had managed to isolate her from the group by capturing one of the stragglers-an old man by the name of Go. Once cornered, he proceeded to fight her, but she moved with god-like speed and her waterbending far outmatched his firebending. Out of desperation he had shot a volley of fire towards the old man he had captured. She managed to stop the first set of fireballs, but her mask did not survive the impact-he was stunned by her bright white hair and fierce lilac eyes. Somehow, he wasn't sure how, but she managed to redirect the second whip of fire and escape by creating a thick fog. Mako was glad she had managed to do the impossible, or that man's blood would have been on his hands, and he would have never forgiven himself.

They met again when Bolin dragged him to his favorite noodle stand; he was surprised at how laid back she was. It was completely different from the fierce warrior he had encountered in the alley. They hung out often, and having her around was like a breath of fresh air for the brothers. She was smart, funny and humble… Mako also thought she was beautiful, but Kyra had made it clear she wasn't looking for any kind of romance. She evaded nearly any kind of intimacy with the young man, and seemed not to pick up on his flirtatious manner. The more they hung out, the more he cared for her, and the more he frowned upon the vigilante known as the "white lion." He, more than anyone, understood that people needed to do anything to survive, but she was taking on all the danger and steeping herself further in the world of crime. One day she would be caught by the Republic City police and that would be the end of her freedom; Mako thought it was a waste of talent. It was about that time that he and Bolin had been picked out of obscurity and brought into the world of pro-bending. He had offered Kyra a position as their waterbender, but the conversation didn't go as well as he wanted.

"Are you serious Mako?" Kyra's eyes lit up with excitement. "That's great news, and Pabu is the mascot, how cute!" She caught the little ferret and gave him a kiss on the nose.

Mako smiled and decided now was the time to ask, "I was wondering, if you would like to join our team? You know… we need a waterbender."

Kyra's smile fell. It's not that she didn't want to be a pro-bender, but she honestly had no time to practice, and all their matches would be at night. Go and the others needed her. Her rebellious nature told her to just go for it, but a deep fear warned her of the consequences of her choices. What if she wasn't there, when they needed her most? Watching late night matches was completely different from being in one-she could leave whenever she wanted.

"I don't know Mako… I work late at night." Kyra hadn't told her friends much about herself and they never asked, which she greatly appreciated. "I love hanging out with you and Bolin but…"

"I know about your late night job," Mako was tired of watching her put herself in needless danger. "Stop stealing, and just join our team. You'll make enough money to sustain yourself, and you can live with us."

Kyra's eyes flashed with anger, hurt and surprise. "How did you… it doesn't matter." Kyra stood and Mako recoiled as her facial features, once so kind and lively, resembled the warrior he had first met. "You know nothing, Mako. Those people need me; I can't just abandon them." Kyra let the words settle before she took her leave. A tear rolled down her cheek and her heart cracked as her words settled and his silence reigned.

That was the last time he had seen her until she showed up today. It hurt to see her face so full of joy over someone she had no doubt just met-Korra. Strangely enough, when he first laid eyes on Korra, Kyra had flashed through his mind. Mako sighed as he thought of all of them enjoying a night on the town. There was the Kyra that laughed and slurped up fire noodles, and then there was the Kyra who risked everything for the forgotten people of Republic City… Mako hoped some day the two would become one; that one day the vigilante would simply be a hero.


End file.
